Binc Welcomes New Board Members and Staff Ann Arbor—The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation is thrilled to welcome new Board members, announce updates to the Board’s Executive Committee, and introduce new staff members. “I am thankful for all of the talented individuals, both Board members and staff, who lend their expertise to make certain the Foundation […]
Author Archives: Kate Weiss
The pandemic has been hard on dental health. Among other sources, the New York Times has reported that many people are delaying dental care due to cost, lack of insurance, fear of exposure to the virus, and limited appointments. This has all resulted in horrible pain from teeth grinding, jaw pain, cracked and chipped teeth in need […]
Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to live, but a bookseller found themselves grappling with housing insecurity when their building was unexpectedly sold. Finding a safe place to live was proving impossible since they needed to come up with the necessary cash to cover a security deposit, two month’s rent, and the utility deposit […]
It’s no secret that single parenting small children is tough under the best of circumstances. When a bookseller, who parents three small children, needed to take a week off work to care for all three of their seriously sick children it sent the family’s financial situation into what could have been a downward spiral. This […]
We sometimes hear that a bookseller or comic employee is so worried about a possible medical bill they put off going to the doctor or dentist for a long time. We had this kind of inquiry this week. With the encouragement of their co-workers, Stephanie* reached out to Binc after being in pain for weeks. […]
Ann Arbor, MI – Today, The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation launched its 2021 Holiday Gift Guide. (https://www.bincfoundation.org/2021-holiday-gift-guide/). Featuring an assortment of gifts, the guide includes a wide array of unique offerings from 30 indie bookstores and comic shops across the country and items that give back to Binc, and therefore support booksellers and comic store employees in need. Pam […]
As Hurricane Ida approached, Jamie*, his partner, and their two cats evacuated from New Orleans to an out-of-state hotel. With the city and surrounding communities battered by flooding and often starting clean-up without power, Jamie and his family didn’t know when they could return or what they’d be returning to. There was so much uncertainty […]
Sean* owns a thriving bookstore housed in a turn-of-the-century building in a charming town on the Atlantic coast. Hurricane Florence, which brought more than 24 inches of water and multiple days of high winds, put the store’s future in jeopardy. The bookstore and many other structures in the town were damaged. Water came in around […]
Bad Things Happening to Good People could be the title of Yvonne’s* story. To receive assistance from Binc, a book or comic book store employee must experience an unforeseen financial hardship, referred to as a “qualifying event.” When Yvonne contacted Binc, she had experienced eight separate qualifying events in the previous 15-month period. First: After suffering a […]
Ann Arbor, MI —Eight recipients have been selected to receive a total of $29,500 in scholarships as part of the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation’s 2021 Higher Education Scholarship Program. The recipients were selected from thirty-four applicants. Winners are attending colleges and universities in New York, Florida, Arizona, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Delaware, Wisconsin, and Michigan. They […]